Turkish prosecutors on Thursday ordered the detention of 25 public figures, including actors, musicians and media personalities, as part of an expanding narcotics investigation based in İstanbul, with 17 suspects taken into custody during early morning raids, TRT Haber reported.
The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the operation was launched after tips as well as digital materials and other evidence led authorities to conclude there was reasonable suspicion that the suspects had used narcotics or stimulant substances.
İstanbul gendarmerie units carried out simultaneous raids early Thursday, searching locations and seizing digital materials. The detained suspects were taken for forensic testing, including the collection of biological samples.
Among those named in the investigation are singers Mabel Matiz and Tan Taşçı, actor Onur Tuna and actress Feyza Civelek.
Prosecutors also issued detention warrants for actress Serenay Sarıkaya and journalist Mirgün Cabas.
Cabas said in a post on X that he had learned from the media that his name had appeared in an investigation.
He said he was in the western province of İzmir for his father’s funeral after losing him the previous day and that his lawyers were in contact with the prosecutors.
Cabas said he would take the necessary steps once he had more information.
Several of the figures involved have large social media followings. Sarıkaya has more than 10 million Instagram followers, while Tuna has more than 3 million. Singer Berkay Şahin, another name included in the investigation, has about 1 million followers.
The broader investigation dates back to October 8, when Turkish gendarmerie units launched the first large-scale, celebrity-focused narcotics operation in İstanbul.
Most suspects who had been detained were later released after providing blood and hair samples for toxicology examinations.
Prosecutors dropped the charges against several public figures after forensic tests found no illegal substances in their samples, while investigations into others continued.
The operations later expanded to include television presenters, journalists, club operators and business figures.
Journalist Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the former editor-in-chief of Habertürk TV, was detained in December as part of a separate phase of the probe involving allegations related to narcotics use and links to an alleged criminal organization. He was later arrested.
The case has since moved forward with an indictment. The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has said an indictment of Ersoy and seven other suspects had been submitted to the İstanbul 19th High Criminal Court as part of the narcotics investigation.
Prosecutors are seeking up to 65 years in prison for Ersoy on charges of “establishing and leading a criminal organization,” “ sexual assault” in 11 instances, “drug trafficking or supply” and “facilitating narcotics use.”
The indictment alleges that Ersoy led a criminal organization and supplied cocaine to women, drawing them into an alleged exploitation network.
Turkish media reported that Ersoy’s drug test had also come back positive.
In April İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Fatih Dönmez said new operations targeting celebrities and business figures would continue as additional evidence emerged.
Dönmez said Turkish authorities were cooperating with INTERPOL and European law enforcement agencies as part of broader efforts targeting narcotics trafficking and organized crime networks.
Critics say high-profile drug investigations are sometimes widely publicized, while law enforcement has failed to sufficiently target large-scale trafficking networks.
According to a 2025 report by the Turkish police, Turkey has moved beyond its traditional role as a transit route for illegal drugs and has increasingly become both a destination market and a production hub, particularly for synthetic substances. The report documented a sharp increase in drug-related operations, with dozens of facilities uncovered in İstanbul alone.